


Dark Star Alloy

by allycat0500, TheFireWithin



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: and its our first collab, and the dark star alloy, how he got it, its canon, so this is about his daughter, sort of, the master had a daughter, what happened, why the doctor gave it to him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-29 16:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11444367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allycat0500/pseuds/allycat0500, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFireWithin/pseuds/TheFireWithin
Summary: "Dark star alloy. Goes through armour plating like a knife through people... Pretty though, isn't it? Got it in the olden days of Gallifrey. The Doctor gave it to me when my daughter--"The Master’s daughter was a major point of pride with him, anyone who knew him could tell you that.  He managed to find a way to bring her up in any conversation, whether it was while grocery shopping or while he was on trial.  ((Of course, he seemed to go deaf and rather angry when one would ask about her mother, but the Doctor tended to warn people about this beforehand to ensure this was not a common occurrence.))It was no surprise, then, with all the talk about how bright and clever she was, that she received a letter accepting her into the Academy—no surprise to anyone, that is, except the Master.This is the Story of the Dark Star Alloy





	1. Letter of Acceptance

The Doctor received a panicked knock on his door very early one morning—so early, the second sun had yet to rise, and opened the door to find a frightened-looking Master, brandishing a letter.

“Master?  What’s wrong?”  he asked, ushering him inside.

“She got in!  Theta, she’s going to go to the _Academy!_ ”  The Master paced worriedly, absently tapping his fingers in a four-beat tune.

“I thought you’d be proud of that.  You’re always going on about how clever she is—“

“That doesn’t mean I want her to go there!”  The Master snapped, pausing his pacing for a moment.  He took a shaky breath and continued.  “You’ve already got one there, don’t you?  The other’s about the right age for a letter, too.  Do you really want that for either of them?  _You_ have a backup one, at least.”  He sunk into a chair, looking weak.  “I… she—my Aya—she’s all I have.  They… they’ve taken so much.  They can’t have her too.”

The Doctor watched his friend for a moment, unsure of what to say.  Then, he slowly walked over.  “Well… if she does get a letter, at least I don’t need to worry too much about her making friends,” he said, attempting a smile.

The Master returned the smile weakly, eyes full of worry.  “She’s so… _good._   She’s… she’s good, and kind, and… You know what the Academy’s like.”  He grabbed the Doctor’s arm, eyes opened just a bit too wide.  “What if she ends up like _me_?”

“On the off chance she is, at least she’ll have someone to help her along.”  He took the Master’s hand, squeezing it gently.  “She’ll be fine.  Promise.  We are.  Well… relative to how the others turned out.”

He gripped the Doctor’s hand tightly, closing his eyes.  “Rassilon, I don’t want her to go.  I… I’d give anything for her to just… for her to…”  He took a deep breath, opening his eyes, which were a little too shiny, too bright.  “Well.  She’s not.  No use fighting it, I suppose.”  He gave a short, wild laugh.  “Maybe this will be good for her—maybe she’ll become _you_ , not me.”

The Doctor went to take a step back, but stopped.  Instead, he tried to wrap his consciousness around the Master’s.  Something he hadn’t done in a long time, but it was certainly worth trying.  He remembered on particularly bad days how it had helped.  Maybe it could now.

The Master withdrew, quickly pushing him away.  “Don’t..!  Just… there’s too much, now.  It.. it’s not like when we were children, I’m so much _more_ now… If you try.. I’m afraid you’ll drown.”  Though his words sounded earnest enough, he couldn’t prevent another wild laugh from escaping his lips.  “Drowned and gone, you’ll end up madder than me.”

The Doctor stumbled back, putting a hand to his head.  He leaned against a wall, eyes closed, before finally speaking.  His eyes, however, remained closed.  “…Get some rest.  Stay here, if you’d like.  Rassilon knows you need it.”  The Doctor paused, then continued.  “Actually, that’s less of an offer, more of a request.  Please stay.  You really do need the rest.  I can even go and bring your daughter here, if you’d like.”

After a moment’s consideration, he shook his head.  “She’ll be asleep, and if you wake her… she’ll assume the worst.”  His eyes dulled, going far away as his mind went to the last time the Doctor had to fetch her from her sleep—and her frightened face visiting him from the asylum.  He began to hum, fingers tapping on the armrest.

“…If you insist.  But please, do get some rest.  Everything will turn out just fine.  Do you remember how nervous I was my first… well, first year, really.”  He smiled gently, finally opening his eyes.  “I believe you were the one who told me everything was going to be okay, too.  And wasn’t it?”  He slowly approached the other Time Lord.

The Master slowly seemed to return to reality, watching him warily.  “I’m not going to rip your head off, you know.. Not at the moment, anyway.”  He sighed.  “But you do have a point.  I.. I think, anyway.  It.. it’s all… there’s so _much._   I can’t think!  Why won’t it just _stop?!_ ”  His voice grew steadily louder, hands tightening into fists.

The Doctor took one of his hands, patting the back of it gently.  “Breathe.  Okay?  Everything will be okay.  She’ll be fine.”  He glanced towards the door, but only for a moment, quickly snapping back.

The Master noticed, eyes darkening.  “Afraid they’ll wake to find you knocking me out again?  Never got around to properly thanking you for that, you know.”  He leaned closer to him, leering.  “Shall I now, do you think?  Don’t worry, I won’t wake anyone.”

“No.  You… you don’t have to.  I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  He shook his head, standing.  “I don’t.”

“Oh?  Perhaps I should remind you, then.”  He quickly stood, grabbing the Doctor by the wrist, tightly, an odd expression on his face.  “Do I frighten you, Doctor?”  He leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper.  “Do I cause chills to run down your spine?”

He stared at the Master for a moment, unmoving as thoughts ran through his head.  He then looked around quickly, dropping his voice.  “You know I don’t want to hurt you.  I hate the times where I’ve had to.  So let go of me.”

The Master chuckled darkly.  “Trust me, in this scenario, I’m just fine.”  His grip tightened, twisting his wrist slightly.  “Besides, you don’t want to wake the little ones, do you?”

The Doctor made a face and glared, but didn’t dare make a sound.  “Please.  Get some rest.  You need it.  You’ll feel better after you do.”

“I could break your wrist right now.  I doubt you’d even try to stop me.”  He twisted his wrist a little more for emphasis.  “I could invade your mind, drive you mad.  I could do _so much_ to hurt you..”  he whispered, eyes wild and unfocused.

The Doctor swallowed hard, looking at his wrist.  “…What’s stopping you?  Not that I necessarily want you to, just… curious.  Why not?”

The Master frowned slightly, puzzled, looking him in the eye.  “Because, Theta Dearest—you’re my closest friend.”  He twisted his wrist a fraction of an inch more before letting go, chuckling to himself as he headed to a bedroom.

The Doctor shut his eyes, holding his wrist with his other hand, not moving from his spot in the center of the room.  Minutes passed before he turned to follow the Master, trying to shake the slight pain from his wrist.


	2. Morning

When he had woken up for the second time, the last thing the Doctor expected was to smell breakfast and hear laughter.  And yet, there it was.

The Master didn’t even notice the Doctor at first, joking with and teasing the young children seated at the breakfast table.  When he did, his already smiling face brightened.  

 “Morning, Doctor.  I’m almost done with breakfast, and I made your favourite.”

The Doctor stood in the doorway, processing the scene for a moment, before clearing his throat and stepping into the room.   

“…Right.  Well, thank you for that.”

“Of course, no problem at all.”  Humming cheerfully, he busied himself at the stove, not hearing the knock at the door.

The Doctor took this as a way to excuse himself, hurrying over to the door and answering it.

“Hello?”

A small girl was on the other side, rocking back and forth slightly.

“Good morning, Lord Doctor.  Is my father here?”  She kept her tone formal, though there was a worried edge to it.

He smiled softly and nodded.  “Yes, my dear.  He, ah… he was a bit worried, that’s all.  Wanted to talk about it.”  He stepped aside, gesturing into the house.  “Come in, right this way…”

She nodded, walking inside.  “Did.. did he have another of his… episodes?”  She nervously fidgeted with the sleeve on her tunic.

The Doctor knelt down, looking her in the eyes and taking her hands.  “No, of course not.  He’s quite alright.”  He smiled reassuringly, and stood.  “Now, right this way…”  The Doctor led her to the kitchen, managing to keep up the façade of nothing having happed earlier that morning.

She nodded, brightening when she saw the Master. 

“Daddy!” she shrieked, running towards him. 

“Aya!”  He grinned, picking her up and spinning her around.  Aya giggled delightedly.  “How’s my Morning Star?”

“You weren’t there when I woke up,” she admonished.  I was worried you were in trouble again.”

“And I’m very sorry about that, but I had… important things to discuss with the Doctor.”  His grin faded as his eyes flickered over to the table.  “Which reminds me, Doctor… you got a letter this morning.”

“…Thank you,” he responded, walking over to the letter and picking it up.  The same envelope.  All the years and they hadn’t bothered to change the envelope.  He hated that envelope.

He smiled the best he could.  “Well,” he started.  “Looks like Aya won’t be going alone.”  He handed the envelope to Enea, who stared at the letter in disbelief.

“No way!”  She jumped out of her seat, then turned to face her older brother.  “See, Chal!  I told you I’d get in.”  The boy only rolled his eyes in response.

“I got in?!”  Aya looked at the Master accusingly.  “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?  You should have woken me, we could have celebrated together!”  Wriggling out of his grasp, she ran to Enea, smiling.  “We’re going to become real, proper Time Ladies!”

As the two little girls ran off, jabbering about what fun they were going to do at the Academy, the Doctor leaned on the counter, face buried in his hands.

The Master walked over to him, touching his arm gently.  “They’ll have each other, at least.”  He tried to smile reassuringly.

The Doctor slowly lowered his hands, then nodded.  “…Yes.  At least they’ll have each other.  Not that Enea would by any means have problems making friends.”  He tried to laugh, forcing a smile to go along.

The Master laughed wildly for a brief moment.  “This… this is going to be hell for the both of us, isn’t it?”  He continued laughing, handing Chal a plate piled high with food.

“Most likely.  But… they look like they’ll have fun.  They’ll keep each other safe, I’m sure.  They’ll be safe.”  His eyes widened suddenly, looking at the Master.  “We don’t even know if they’ll be in the same Chapter.”

“The Master looked up, halfway through slicing some fruit, knife hovering in midair.  “They… they will.  They have to.  They _will_.”  He attacked the fruit with newfound ferocity, breathing heavily.

“…Of course.  Ridiculous to think otherwise.  I mean, everyone in my family has been in the Prydorian Chapter since… Well, a long, long, time.”  He forced a laugh, then cleared his throat.  “They’ll be fine.”

“You’re lying.”  He turned to the Doctor, seemingly forgetting about the knife in his hand.  “I hate it when you lie.”

“No.  Not about the Prydonian Chapter.  They have.”  He tried to take a step back, only to meet the counter.  “Ah… Chal?  Why don’t you go up to your room and read or… something.”  Without a word, the boy nodded and walked upstairs, leaving the Doctor to return his full attention back to the Master.

“And if she doesn’t?  Or what about Aya?  Nearly all of my family ended up in the Patrex Chapter.”  He took a step closer to him.  “You don’t know what will happen to them, what the Academy will do to them!”

The Doctor held his hand out, as if trying to somehow create more space between the two of them.  “We managed to make it out.  Now, if you could just… do you really want to do this with Aya around?  You know how much it upsets her to see you like this.”  The entire time he was speaking, his eyes hadn’t left the knife in the other’s hand.

After a long moment, the Master nodded, slowly backing away.  He returned to slicing fruit, eyes glazed over.

The Doctor visibly relaxed, walking over and sitting in one of the empty seats.

With a small scream, the Master hurled the knife across the room, it burying itself in the far wall with a _ching_.  He then added the sliced fruit to a place, setting it in front of the Doctor as if nothing was wrong.  
“Might as well eat, I did go through all that work.”  He grinned slightly, fixing himself a plate.

The Doctor nodded, not even reacting to the scream or his newfound wall décor.  He began to eat slowly, lost in thought.

Sitting himself across from the Doctor, the Master began to eat, smiling pleasantly.  “Oh!  I nearly forgot, would you like something to drink?”

“No… No, that’s alright.  I’m fine,” he responded without looking up, still partially lost in thought.

The Master watched him, a small smile forming at his lips.  “Are you sure?  It’ll help your breakfast go down, you know.”  He stood up, fixing them both glasses of juice, handing one to the Doctor.  “Drink, okay?”

He nodded, picking up the glass and taking a sip from it, then setting it back down and glancing at the Master.  “Thank you…” he muttered.  He remained emerged in his thoughts for only a moment longer, before snapping back into the present.

“Mind telling me where you were?”  the Master asked pleasantly, picking at his food.

“First day.  Where else?”  The Doctor responded, managing another bite.

“That day wasn’t so bad.. Though I did meet a scrawny blonde boy who ended up following me around until graduation.”  The Master grinned at him, winking.

“I did not follow you around.  I just knew I should hang around you if I wanted to make it to graduation.”  He smiled slightly, then added, “Nor was I that little.”

The Master shrugged.  “You were how I remember it.”  He stared at his plate for a moment before pushing it away.  “I don’t suppose we can just grab them and leave the planet…” he grinned to show he was (mostly) joking.

“They’d track us in a single heartbeat.  And Chal…”  His smile faltered for a moment.  “I don’t know why it was different with him.  It was just… easier.”  He laughed slightly.  “You must have worried me or something.”

The Master shrugged.  “You had a spare.  Even if you lost him, you could always keep Enea… or make more.”  He started drumming his fingers on the table.

“… Was I the spare, then?  Is that what you considered me to my brother?”  He watched his friend curiously, studying him.

“Isn’t that what all second children are?  Spares, in case the firsts are disappointments?”  he shrugged.  “If it helps, you were always my favorite.”

He gave a short laugh.  “Makes a world of difference.  Did your pare—“  he cut himself short, picking up the glass of juice quickly, and taking a drink.

“Oh, they wanted another, after me… Just never worked out for them.”  He laughed slightly.  “They were stuck with the disappointment, I’m afraid.”

“You’re not a disappointment.  Look at you now.  Look at us both now.  Who would have guessed we’d wind up… here.”  He gestured to the house, a soft smile returning.

The Master tried to smile, choosing to change the subject.  “… You could make another, you know.  Maybe the next one wouldn’t make it, could come out… average.”

“Please.  You know even if they were a complete idiot they’d get in.  Look at me.  Nearly failed almost every class.  It’s not always just about intelligence.  It’s about what house you come from, too.”  He sighed, poking around at his food.

The Master jumped up suddenly, nearly knocking his chair over.  “You’ve barely eaten.  Would you like something else?  Enea and Aya haven’t eaten, either.  We should make sure they get something…” he took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

The Doctor looked up, frowning.  “…Koschei, what’s wrong?”

“Just… keeping it together.  It’s fine.  I’m fine.  Everything is just fine.”  A wild giggle escaped his lips.  “Just perfect.”

The Doctor reached across the table and took his friend’s hands gently.  “Is there anything I can do?”

Before he could respond, Aya and Enea bounded into the room, Aya wearing a messy red wig atop her head.  “Daddy!  Um… Lord Doctor.”  She bowed slightly to him before turning back to the Master.  “How long before I can go?  There’s so much we have to do!”

“Not for a while,” the Doctor said with a smile.  “They send out those letters to let us know we should get supplies, and… Prepare, essentially.  Usually a month or so in advance…”

“A _month_?  But that’s so long!”  Aya tugged at the Master’s hand, eyes wide.  “Can we start now?  Please?”  The Master didn’t respond, slowly sitting back down.

“Daddy?  What’s wrong?”  she frowned, crawling into his lap.

The Doctor stood, walking over to Aya and placing her back onto the ground.  “Why don’t you two go back to playing?  We, ah… we were in the middle of an important discussion.”

She eyed him, frowning.  “… I know what’s happening..  He gets like this a lot.  It helps when you kiss his cheek.”  With that, she ran back off, Enea close behind.

The Doctor sat back down, watching him carefully.  “… My offer still remains.”

“Hm…?” he frowned, looking over at him.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“… I don’t think so.. I’m just… going to have to find a way to deal, I suppose.”  He laughed, eyes crazed.  “My only daughter’s going to the Academy, any other Time Lord would be thrilled..”

The Doctor took his hands again, gently.  “You’ll be okay.  She’ll be okay.  Promise.  Okay?”

He yanked his hands away, nearly falling out of the chair.  “Don’t touch me..!”  He shook his head, frowning.  “No, I… I can do this.. can’t scare them.. not again..”  He tried to grin.  “Hard to believe you’d let me back here after what happened last time.”

“You’re my friend.  And… Aya and Enea are friends.  They’d be devastated if they couldn’t see each other anymore.”  He pushed the other glass of juice to the Master.  “… Drink something.  You’ll feel better.”

The Master frowned, shaking his head.  “I… I can’t.  I’m sorry.”

“… That’s okay.  Later, then,” he said, standing.  “If you’re done, I can clean up.”  He smiled slightly.  “… It’s probably a good thing Drotha is on that trip.  She would freak out if she saw all of this lying out.”

“Freak out that I’m this close to your children like this, you mean.”  He chuckled.  “I think she honestly thought I was going to eat them that time.”

“…Perhaps a bit.  But she’s forgiven you, I think.”  He brought the leftovers to the counter, wrapping them and putting them in the refrigerator.  “She doesn’t hate you.  She just thinks you’re… odd.  And there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that.”

“I don’t like her.  She’s too…” the Master frowned, thinking.  “Clean.  Too clean.”

“Says the one who insisted upon the weekly sorting of our clothes.”  The Doctor smiled, glancing at his friend.

“That’s not what I.. I’ve killed before, you know that.  Her?  She’s the type who would put me in an asylum and lose the key.  I’ll bet she’s never broken a law before.  Not even a little one.”

The Doctor stood in silence for a moment, movement ceasing.  His smile faltered, but he quickly put it back on.  “… She doesn’t hate you.  Promise.”

“Really?  I’d expect she’d have a restraining order or something against me, if it weren’t for you.”

“She wouldn’t even know you if it weren’t for me, I don’t think.”

“You know what I mean.  I doubt anyone wants a killer hanging around the house, making breakfast…” he glanced at the wall.  “… Throwing knives.”

“…. You’re still working on it.  You’re getting much better.  And I.. we all will, probably, be there with you.”  He smiled reassuringly.  “Promise.”

“Only because of Aya.”  He swallowed, frowning.  “She walked in on one of my fits the other night.. locked herself in her room, wouldn’t come out for hours.”

“You can contact me whenever you need.  I’ll try my best to be there.  Or anywhere.”  The Doctor turned back around, clearing the rest of the plates.

“… I tried,” he said quietly.  “You were out.  And I wasn’t going to ask your wife to babysit me.  I thought… I thought I could control it.”

“… Then send Aya over here.  We wouldn’t mind if she had to stay the night.  Especially… just in case of harm or fear.”

“I’m not going to hurt her!”  he glared at the Doctor, standing up.  “Don’t you _dare_ try to take her from me!”

The Doctor held his hands up in defense.  “Merely a suggestion.  I wouldn’t dream of taking her.  I know how much you love her.”

The Master nodded slightly, deflating.  “I… sorry.  Of course you wouldn’t.”  He walked over to the Doctor, taking the plates from him.  “I’ll wash, okay?”

“You don’t have to.  You made breakfast.  The least I can do is clean the dishes.  And… it is my house, after all.  You don’t have to.”

The Master shrugged.  “I just… How’s your wrist?”

“… Fine.  Just fine.”  He forced a smile.  “Let’s just get to the dishes.  Or I can.  The sooner we start them, the sooner it’ll be done.”

“Don’t lie,” the Master said sharply, dishes falling in the sink as he grabbed the Doctor’s wrist, looking it over.

The Doctor gritted his teeth.  “I told you, I’m fine,” he said, trying to pull his hand back.

The Master glared at him, grip tightening, staring him in the eye.  “ _Don’t lie to me._ ”

The Doctor stiffened, glaring at him.

“ _Tell me the truth._ ”  He reached out with his mind, compulsion coming off in waves.

“Stop that..!”  He tried to pull away again.  “You know I hate it when you do that.”

“Then don’t lie!”  The Master growled, pulling him closer,  mentally reaching out more forcefully.  _“Tell me the truth!_ ”

“… Yes.  It does hurt a bit.  Probably just a sprain, nothing more.”

The Master nodded slightly, mentally withdrawing as he loosened his grip.  “Right.  Sorry.”

The Doctor pulled his hand back, rubbing his wrist gently.  “…It’s alright.”

“Is it?  I could very well have broken your wrist… or worse.  You don’t have to deal with me when I get like that.”  The Master turned away, facing the sink.  “Just knock me out or lock me up or something instead.  Be a lot safer.”

“I could never do that to you, and you know it.  And knocking you out is only saved for the extremes.  So, yes.  It is alright.”  He smiled reassuringly, but didn’t let go of his wrist.

“…You should probably ice that.  Or wrap it.  Not like it’d shock the kids, you know.”  The Master tried to smile.  “Or I could kiss it better.  That seems to help with Aya.”

“Hardly hurts anymore, anyway.”  The Doctor smiled teasingly.  “But if you really think kissing it better might help..”

He chuckled, gently taking the Doctor’s wrist and giving it a soft peck.  “Better?” he grinned, turning on the facet.

“Oh, much,” he replied with a laugh.

The Master laughed softly.  “If you can get that knife, I’ll wash it, too.”

The Doctor nodded, walking to the wall and attempting to pull out the knife, only to grimace.  “Right… maybe not as good as I thought..”

“… Right.  I’ll get it then.  Ice your wrist.”  He walked over to the wall, yanking the knife out after a few tries.

“Just needs a little rest.  Still can do the dishes, no problem..”

“Ice, you idiot.  Your wife will kill me if that gets broken due to your stubbornness over ice and a bandage.”

“…Fine.  But only because I don’t want her to kill you.  That could make things highly awkward.”  He walked over to the freezer, taking out an ice pack.

“Only if I come back,” the Master grinned, returning to the dishes.

“Well, I certainly hope you would.  I’m sure Aya would, too.”

“No need to worry on that front, Doctor  I’m planning on making my way through each and every one of these regenerations, regardless of what tries to kill me.”  He grinned wider at the Doctor.  “Then I’ll kill it.”

“…Are you sure you don’t want help with the dishes?  I really don’t mind,” the Doctor said, walking over to the sink.

The Master shrugged.  “If you want; I’m nearly finished, though.”  With a wink, he tossed the knife high into the air, watching it spiral several times before catching it.

The Doctor nodded, walking back over to the table and gently placing the ice pack back on his wrist.

“… When is she scheduled to look into the Schism?” the Master asked quietly, eyes glued to the sink.

“…I don’t know,” he responded, glancing at him.

“You should check.  Aya.. I have less than a week before..”

“…She’ll be fine.  I’m sure she will be.  Both of them.  They will be… they have to be.”

“How was Chal?”

“…He never  told me.  I think… I think he ran, but was ashamed.  Embarrassed to tell anyone.  But he’s always been quiet.”

“Did you tell your parents?  That you ran?”

“…I had no choice, I had to tell them.”

“How did they take it?”  the Master kept his eyes on the sink, dishes long since cleaned.

“The Doctor cleared his throat, looking down at the ice pack.  “Doesn’t matter now.  It was long ago.”

The Master turned to him, watching him closely.  “No shame in running, really.. Nearly half the Academy ran, you know—not that they’d ever admit it.”

“Like I said.  Doesn’t matter now.  We’re here now, and that’s what does matter.”

“…Not for them.  They’re not concerned about their lives a hunded, two hundred years from now.. They just want to be impressive….” The Master swallowed, taking a quick, sharp breath.  “I’m going to tell her what it did to me.”

“…If you think you should, then do.  Although… I think it might just worry her.”

“I know.  Better she has an idea of what to expect than going in cocky, then being shattered.”  He took another deep breath, calling for his daughter.

“… I’ll let you two be,” the Doctor stood, turning to leave.

“Stay.   I… please.”

The Doctor stopped, then nodded, turning around.

“…Thank you.  I… She’ll probably tell Enea, you know,” his worried expression melted into a smile as Aya ran into the room, grinning widely.

“… I’ll talk to her about it tonight.”

The Master nodded, sitting down and pulling Aya onto his lap.  “Morning Star, in just under a week, you’re going to look into the Untempered Schism.”  He took a shaky breath, trying to smile.  “And that is a very big deal, and… and..”

The Doctor tried to reach out mentally, with little success.  Instead, he gave an encouraging nod.

“And it can be very scary,” the Master finished, eerily calm as his daughter shifted uncomfortably.

“But… you did it.  And Lord Doctor… and all the Time Lords and Ladies.”

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t scary.. Drove me mad, you know.”  He grinned slightly, tickling her, making her giggle briefly before she pushed him away.

 “That.. that’s not funny, Father.”  She frowned, turning to the Doctor.  “Tell him he isn’t being funny.”

“…It’s not.”  The Doctor replied, giving the Master a long look.  “But sometimes… sometimes we need humor to cover up, or even just to ease a dark situation.”  He gestured for the Master to continue.

“And I’m not really joking,” the Master added.  “I’m sorry, Morning Star, but the moment I looked into the Schism, I turned not quite right.  You’ve seen it, when I get—“  Noticing the look on her face, he cut himself off, shaking his head.  “The point is, the Schism affects everyone differently.  If you have any wits about you at all, you’ll run as fast as you can away from it.”  He offered her a weak grin.  “I promise, I won’t be ashamed, no matter what you do.”

Aya nodded uneasily, hopping down from his lap.  “Can… can I go now, please?  Enea and I are playing Regeneration.”  She ran off as soon as the Master nodded, glancing back at him before disappearing into a room.

“…She’ll be inspired.  I mean, look at her.  She’s.. she’s very bright.  And brave.  I doubt she’ll run.”  The Doctor stared at some point in space, but quickly brought himself back into reality.

“I just want her to turn out better than I did.”

“That’s all anyone wants for their children.”

“But most don’t have as much at stake.. I don’t know what I’ll do if it drives her mad.”

“Would she even tell you?”

“Doubtful.  But.. it’s easy to find the madness in someone, if you know where to look.”  He looked the Doctor over, a small smile forming at his lips.  “Extremely so.”

The Doctor eyed him carefully.  “…What are you implying?”

“I can feel it, you know.  The energy burning off you, the need to run.  Radiating off of you, I can practically _see_ it.”  The Master stood, smiling pleasantly.  “Thank you for letting me stay the night.  I’ll fetch Aya, and we’ll be on our way.”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.  That…” the Doctor glanced around quickly.  “…Go.  If you want to go, then leave.”

“Well, we do have a lot of preparations to do.. and I’m sure she’s going to tell your children horror stories about the Schism and how it drove her father mad if we don’t leave soon.”

“Then go.”  The Doctor stood, returning the ice pack to the freezer.

“…You seem upset.”

“I’m not upset.”

“If you say so..”  the Master shrugged, calling for Aya again.  “But really, go on a vacation or something, you _reek_ of the urge to leave.”  He took Aya’s hand and headed for the door.

“…Maybe one day.”

The Master’s laughter echoed throughout the room as he left, the door slamming shut behind him.

The Doctor stood in silence, eyes not leaving the door.


	3. The Untempered Schism

The Master had not left his house for three days.  Usually, this was a sign of something rather Not Good.  But in the three days, there had been no explosions, no fires, not even any screams coming from his house.  Just… silence.

On the third day, there was a knock on the door.  Soft, but urgent.  The Master opened it cautiously, eyes widening slightly when he saw who it was.  “Doctor, welcome,” he said, ushering him inside.

The Doctor stepped inside, looking around quickly.  “…What happened with Aya?  At the…” his voice trailed off, not quite wanting to say it.

The Master shook his head, voice low.  “She’s locked herself inside her room, mind shielded.  She won’t come out, won’t talk to me..”

“She can already shield her mind?” the Doctor asked, sounding impressed.  “No, that’s not the point.  What do you think happened?”

“I don’t know..!”  The Master paced around the room, occasionally glancing to the door.  “When she got here, she went straight to her room.  I tried talking to members of the Council, but you know what that’s like, they were worse than useless… What about Enea?  How’s she doing?”

“Pretty well, actually.  Although… I’m not sure.  She says she “was inspired,” but… who knows.  Everyone lies about it.”

“Good, good..”  the Master nodded distractedly, still pacing.  “Ah… ignore the mess.  It’s been a trying few days.”

“I can help you with it, if you’d like.  Least I could do, honestly.”

“Hm?”  the Master frowned, glancing over at him.  “Oh, ah… if you’d like..”

“Unless you’d rather me do something else to help.”

“In the kitchen, probably..”  the Master nodded vaguely, not looking up.

“…Have either of you eaten in the past few days?”  the Doctor looked at he Master, watching him.

“I’ve made her all sorts of things.. The plates disappear from outside her door when I leave, so I assume she’s eaten.”

“And you?”

“Ah… I think I had a crisp, when they took her to look.”

“…I’ll make you something.  You need to eat.”

“That’s all right, I’m fine.. just fine.”  The Master grinned slightly.  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

The Doctor did not return the smile.  “A lot of reasons.  You’re going to eat something.  You need to.”

“I don’t think I can, it’s much too loud.”  Still, his smile never left his face as he met the Doctor’s eye.  “You know how it gets, I’m sure.”

“How what gets?”

The Master laughed slightly.  “The music, of course..!  When it gets too loud, you can hardly do anything.. eat, work… even think, really.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the Doctor said, watching the Master carefully.

“And right now, they’re awfully loud,” he continued, as if the Doctor had never spoken.  “I can still control it.  You’re not in any danger now, don’t worry.”

“…Why do I know how it gets?  Why should I?  Because… I don’t.  I just don’t.  Nor do I know what you’re talking about.”

The Master scowled.  “Then _listen_.  You never listened properly, any of you..!”

“When did you last sleep?”

The Master frowned, thinking.  “When did they take Aya to look into the Schism?”

“… Get some sleep.  Now.  You need it.  I’ll try to tidy up around here.  See if I can convince Aya to come out of her room.”

“I can’t.. I need to be here when she comes out..”  He took a step toward the Doctor, his hand brushing the Doctor’s wrist.

The Doctor stepped way, pulling his wrapped sleeve away.  “…Not sleeping won’t do anyone any good.  You need to rest.”

“No, no… no rest.”  He chuckled.  “’No rest for the wicked,’ that’s an Earth thing, isn’t it?”  Still chuckling, he stepped closer.

“I will make you if you don’t, and you know that.”

“Then by all means, go ahead.”  He smiled widely, showing his teeth.

“Just… go to sleep.  So I don’t have to.”

“I told you, I can’t.  What if Aya comes comes out?”

“Then I’ll wake you the moment she does.”

“Or I can stay awake and sleep afterwards.  It’s not even been a week, I’m fine.”

“You can’t do this to yourself.”

“Do what?  Miss a day or so of food or sleep?  It’s not a big deal, honestly.”

“It’s been three days.”

The Master frowned.  “Four, actually.  Couldn’t focus the night before, either.. but that’s beside the point.”

“You’re right.  It’s not.  The point is, you need to sleep.”

“I’m _fine…!_ ”

“Don’t lie.”  The Doctor walked over to the Master, placing a hand on his back.

“…I’m as fine as can be under the circumstances.”

“…I’m sorry.”  The Doctor pressed just below the Master’s left shoulder, on the Nerve Cluster.

For a fraction of a second, the Master’s eyes widened in surprise, before he collapsed.  The Doctor caught him before he could  hit the floor, then picked him up and set him gently on the couch.

In the newfound silence, a faint snuffling noise could be heard from Aya’s room.  The Doctor slowly walked to her room, knocking on the door quietly. 

“Aya, dear, what’s wrong?”

There was a faint shuffling noise before the door cracked open, and her face peeked out, eyes red.  “N-nothing, Lord Doctor.  Sorry to disturb you.”

“You didn’t, not at all.  Why have you been crying?”

She frowned, lower lip quivering.  “I… I looked into the Untempered Schism..”

“Yes, I heard you did.  Would you mind telling me what happened?  That’s alright, if not.”

“I didn’t understand it!” she wailed, tears falling down her face.  “There was too much of _everything_!  How’s anyone supposed to understand what it means?!”

He knelt down to her height.  “…Did you run?”

She shook her head.  “They… they had to pull me away.. I was trying to understand.. I stood there for _hours_ , but I couldn’t!  There was so much, and it made my head hurt, but.. Everyone always says they get inspired, or scared, or… or go mad.. But I didn’t get any of it!  It just… didn’t make sense, I didn’t know how to focus!”

“…That’s okay.  You don’t have to.  Maybe you’ll figure it out someday.  But for now… your father has been extremely worried.  He.. he’s sleeping now, though.  Nothing happened.”

She nodded, wiping at her face.  “I… I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean to worry him.. I just.. I want to understand.. I want to go back..”

“Maybe you’ll be the one who finally is able to make snese of it.. Now, ah… Don’t tell your father.  I said I’d wake him were you to leave your room, but he needs the sleep.”

She nodded.  “Okay, Lord Doctor.”  She sniffed, trying to smile.

He smiled warmly, standing up.

“…Is it bad?  That I stayed so long?  They seemed angry, when they pulled me away.”

“….. No.  Just.. unusual.  Probably haven’t seen it before.”

“I.. I don’t think I like it very much.”

“No one does.  I certainly didn’t.  I was… terrified might even be an understatement.”

She smiled briefly.  “And… my father?  Did… did it really make him mad?  Is that why he gets so odd sometimes?”

“…I don’t know who he was before he looked in.  But… from what I’ve heard, yes.”

“… He hurts you sometimes.”

“I don’t mind.  IT’s not the worst thing in the universe.  Regardless, it’s just minor pain.  I’ll heal quickly enough.”

“I’m glad you help him when he gets bad.”  Aya smiled slightly.  “Thank you, Lord Doctor.”

“It’s not problem.  Really.”  He turned to walk to the kitchen to begin cleaning.

She nodded again, walking over to the still Master on the couch, and sat on the floor beside him, talking quietly.  The Doctor pretended not to notice, focusing on cleaning the dishes until the Master sat up, groaning.

“Ah, you’re awake..” he turned, walking to the couch and handing the Master a glass of water.  “…Sorry about that, by the way.”

“Not a big deal, don’t worry.”  The Master set the glass down, picking up Aya and placing her on his lap.  “And how’s my little Morning Star?”  Aya smiled, and quietly began talking about the Schism, voice low.

The Doctor watched them for a moment.  “… I can leave, if you’d want.”

“You should come over for dinner!”  Aya decided.  “You should bring everyone… even Chal.”

The Master smiled at her.  “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“…Oh, right!  _Please_ come over for dinner?”

The Doctor smiled, laughing slightly.  “Well, how can I say no to such good manners?  When would it be?”

She frowned slightly, pressing her forehead against the Master’s for a few moments before sitting up.  “We can’t tonight, because Daddy doesn’t feel good.  But… what about the night before Enea and I go to the Academy?”

“That… probably is not the best idea.  You need to be well rested before you go.  Perhaps the night before that.”

Aya nodded, kissing the Master’s cheek before leaving the room.

“… Doctor, she just held a perfectly understandable conversation in my head,” the Master said, dazed.

“… Patrex.  It.. with abilities like that… Enea hasn’t tried, I don’t think.  But.. maybe she’ll take after Drotha’s family.  Or.. or… maybe she won’t be Patrex.  We don’t know.  How are her languages coming along?”

“She hardly has the patience for them, says it’s boring.”  He grinned slightly.  “I only spoke Judoon for a week to get her to study, and she ended up trying to use compulsion to get me to ‘speak properly,’ as she put it.”

“… Maybe Enea is good at that sort of thing.  I… I just can’t hear her or something.  Wouldn’t be the first time that happened.”

“And… maybe they’ll end up in different Chapters.  Or.. maybe Aya has a hidden affinity for languages after all.”

“She said it was boring, she never said it was hard,” the Doctor pointed out, trying to stay still the best the could in an attempt to keep a façade of calm.

“You can be upset, Theta, I’m not going to snap.”  The Master stood, taking a breath.  “We both know neither one of us is going to relax until we know their Chapters.”

“I.. I’m not upset.  I’m fine.  They’ll be fine.   It’s not like their classes will be different.  Not all of them, at least.”

“You’re worried, anyone can see that.  And of course you are.  I am, too.  But they _will_ be okay, I’m sure.”

The Doctor closed his eyes, breathing deeply.  “… I’m fine.  Just nerves getting the best of me.  I thought I’d be past that by now..”

“…Enea is the friendliest child I know, she’ll be fine.”

“… I know.  It’s ridiculous of me to worry.  For Chal, perhaps not.  But for her… ridiculous.  I shouldn’t.”

“And yet,” the Master chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t think I’ll stop worrying until she’s graduated, you know.”

“No, probably not…”  The Doctor put his hands in his pockets, staring at a blank wall.

“… Remember when we graduated?  I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy.”

“I was glad to be out of there.  And.. glad I proved I could do it.”

“I never had any doubt.”

“You were the only one not to, then.”

The Master smiled.  “Guess I was just smarter than everyone, then.”

“… Perhaps.”  The Doctor glanced at the Master, smiling slightly.

“…And look at you now, you’re doing so well.”  The Master frowned, watching the Doctor nod slightly, but remain silent.  “Theta?  I.. everything’s okay, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is.”

The Master nodded uncertainly.  “… Good.”

The Doctor nodded again, gaze finally leaving the spot on the wall.

“So… where were you,then?”

“…Don’t know what you mean.  Just overthinking.”

“About?”

“Everything.  Same as usual.”

“…Right, of course.”

“Nothing to worry about, really.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” the Master tried to smile.

“Just… About what you said the other day.”

“About what?”

“…No.  Forget it.  I’ll leave you be now.  To get some rest.”  He straightened up, turning to walk to the door.

The Master scowled.  “How can you expect me to come to you, when you don’t even trust me?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that…” he sighed, turning back around.  “…So many languages, aqnd I still can’t find the right words for it.”

“Try. _Please_.”

“…What you said about me wanting to run.”

“I… I shouldn’t have said that, I apologize.”

“You don’t need to.  Just.. curious about that.  How could you sense, or… or see something like that.”

The Master laughed slightly.  “You’ve always had this air about you.. Even when we were children, you wanted to visit the stars.  Never got around to it, but.. It’s everything about you.  Why, when we went to that museum, I half expected you to steal one of those old TARDISes, with how long you spend looking at them.”

“You wanted to, too.  To see the stars.”

“No, I wanted to travel with you.  Then you had to go and get married.”  He grinned, half-joking.

“I didn’t have to, I chose to.  What’s stopping us now?  When all the children go to school… we could probably see a few.”

The Master shook his head, taking a small step back.  “I’m afraid it’s too late.”

“… That’s alright.  I was only joking.”  The Doctor tried to smile.

“No, you weren’t.  And… I’m sorry.  I really am.”

“I was.  There’s no need to be sorry.”

“…Maybe you and your wife can, when your children are at the Academy.. Take her to see the stars.”

“…No.  She wouldn’t.  I.. Like I said.  I was only joking.”

The Master stared at him for a long time.  “… Okay.”

“…I should leave.  I’m sure you have things to do.  And… you need to rest.”

The Master nodded.  “Go home, Theta.”  He watched the Doctor head to the door.  “I… if we don’t talk before then, let me know what Chapter Enea gets into, okay?”

The Doctor nodded.  “You’ll be the first to know.”  The Master watched him leave, then slowly sat back down, burying his head in his hands.


	4. Dinner

Weeks had passes before the Time Lords spoke again, as there was much to prepare for.  But, sure enough, the night before the final day before their children left for the Academy, there was a knock at the door. 

The Master opened the door, face brightening for a brief moment.  “Doctor, Doctor’s wife and children, welcome!  Aya is setting the table,” he said, ushering them inside.  Enea immediately ran off in search of her friend, as Drotha glanced distastefully around the room.

“Surprised it’s still standing?” the Master joked, grinning slightly.

“I see you’ve been able to cover the burn marks,” she replied, walking to follow after Enea. 

The Doctor cleared his throat.  “…She had a long day at work.  Don’t take anything too personally.

“With Drotha?  I never do.”  He glanced into the dining room.  “I suppose I should warn you, Aya chose the menu.. she got a bit overexcited at the market.. hope you like food from a wide variety of planets.”  He grinned.  “Except Gallifrey, oddly enough.”

“You know me, I’m open to trying new foods.”  The Doctor grinned.

“That’s good—because I’m pawning as many leftovers I can on you.  We’ve got enough to feed an army—A small army, but an army nonetheless.”

“Well, at least we know none of us will be hungry for the next few days,”  the Doctor smiled, starting for the table, Chal close behind.  He sat down next to Drotha, who put a hand on his arm, and their eyes met.  For a moment, neither moved, but she slowly lowered her hand again.

The dinner itself went smoothly, with much talking and joking around. 

The Master began to clear away the plates, still grinning.  “I assume everyone wants dessert?  I have orange cake and rhaeberry pie.”

Enea and Aya smiled brightly and nodded, while Chal simply mumbled, “Yes, please.”

“Of course, coming right up.  Doctor, Drotha?” 

The Doctor smiled slightly. “Sure, why not?” 

Drotha thought for a moment, then nodded.  “…Just a little bit, thought.”

The Master nodded, disappearing into the kitchen.  He returned a few minutes later, handing out thick slices of pie and cake to everyone, aside from Drotha, whose slice was a tiny sliver.  “Dig in.”

The chatter and joking quickly picked back up, but as time grew on, the Master began to show his exhaustion.  His grin became thinner, eyes shining unusually bright.  However, aside from that, and his drumming fingers, his demeanor did not change.

Noticing this, the Doctor cleared his throat.  “…Perhaps we should be off soon.  It _is_ getting late, after all.”

“No, no, you’re fine,” the Master said, his voice far away.  “Stay as long as you like.  Beisdes,” he grinned, showing his teeth.  “It’s not often you decide to come here, it’s usually the other way ‘round.”

“… Then why don’t the two of us at least step outside for a minute?  It’s a lovely night.”

After a brief moment, the Master nodded, and he and the Doctor walked out the door.  Once they were a fair distance away from the house, the Master sighed, rubbing his temples.

“…Are they getting bad?” the Doctor asked quietly.

“…Not too much, I can keep it under control..” the Master’s voice lowered.  “The day after tomorrow… it’s going to be bad.  Really bad.”

“…I’ll come over if I can.  I don’t think I’ll be doing anything.”

“I wasn’t asking you to.  You’re saying goodbye to your daughter then, too.  Dealing with that, then with me?”  the Master shook his head slightly.  “Besides.. I’ll be alone—no one to hurt but me.”

“It’ll give me something to get my mind off it… and.. That’s exactly why I won’t leave you alone.  When you hurt yourself.. it gets bad, sometimes.  Worse than if you try to hurt others.  Because you won’t fight back like anyone else would.”

“…I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine.  I always am.  See?”  He held up his wrist, the bandage gone.

The Master smiled weakly, face pale.  “Wife must have been pleased to see that…”

“Gone before she even came home.  I told you, it was just sprained.  Not broken.  It only needed a few days, and it was as good as new.”

“…I came so close to breaking it.  I _wanted_ to break it.”

“But you didn’t.”

“So?  Every time, I want to make you hurt more.  I came so close.. and you didn’t even try to stop me.”

“…I didn’t want to hurt you then.  Chal and Enea were sleeping.”

“So, you’ll want to hurt me in a couple days?  Or will you take a few blows and knock me out?”

“…You know me.”  He shook his head.  “It doesn’t matter.  You shouldn’t be alone that day.”

“I… I could always check myself into an asylum for a few days,” he said, clenching his fists to keep his hands from shaking.

“Aya would worry about you.”

“She wouldn’t even have to know.”

“You can’t do that to her.”

“Protect her from her mad father?”

“…I’m going to be coming over whether you want it or not.”

He tried to sigh, but he couldn’t hide a small smile.  “Thank you.”

“No problem.  Really.”

“No problem?”  the Master laughed.  “You’re seeing your children off, then babysitting your mad friend.  I can think of plenty of other things I’m sure you’d rather be doing.”

“…Like I said, it’ll get my mind off of things.”

“There are plenty of things that could do that.”

“This one is more helpful to you.”

“And less pleasant for you.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“… Thank you.”

“No need to.  You didn’t ask me to.  I’m doing this completely out of choice.”

“…I’m glad you came.  Aya is, too—she’s probably pestering Chal about what it’s like at the Academy right about now.”

“That’s almost all Enea has been doing since her letter came.  Actually, she’s probably answering most of the questions, come to think of it.  You know how he is.”

“…How’s he holding up?”

“Academically, extremely well.  Socially… he seems to be doing about as well as I did.  Minus having someone walk up to them on the first day.”

“Maybe Aya and Enea will help with that.”

“Perhaps.  Hopefully.  Rassilon knows he needs it… Perhaps he’ll become part of the Deca.  Probably, just by looking at his marks.  He can make friends there.”

“No doubt, he’s an exceptional child.  He just worries too much, like his father.”  The Master grinned.

“Of course he gets that.  Out of everything… In nearly every other way, he’s like Drotha.  He even gets his hair color from her.”  The Doctor took a breath.  “…He’ll get through it.  I did.”

“No doubt.”  The Master frowned, glancing around. “We should probably head back soon, before someone starts to worry.”

“Probably.  But it really is such a lovely night…”

“What would you suggest, then?”

“…Nothing, really.  We can’t stay out long.  It’s not like at the Academy.  We both have things we need to do tomorrow.  We need to be responsible.”

The Master laughed.  “It’s not that bad, you know.. You look like you’re about to head off to your execution.”

“You act as if I’ve never once been responsible.”

“That’s what’s funny—you tended to be the responsible one, when we were younger.  And now you’re sulking that we’re not staying out later.”  The Master chuckled, color returning to his face.

“I was only the responsible one out of nerves.  Think of who was the one who insisted upon sneaking out at night to watch the stars.”

The Master threw his head back, gazing at the sky.  “The stars are almost as nice now as they were back then.”

“…I know.  Which is why it’s a shame we should head back in.”

“…In a minute.” The Master laid on the ground, watching the sky.  After a few moments, the Doctor joined him, making the Master smile.  “Remember how we used to point out as many constellations as we could?”

“Hard to forget,” the Doctor replied.  “It was a good way to unwind after a stressful day.”

“You had a funny way of unwinding.  I used to study beforehand to make sure you didn’t leave me in the dust.”

“You used to study the constellations in addition to our studies, only so you could try and win a game that was supposed to be relaxing?”

“…Maybe.  It was more fun when we were close—and you still beat me fairly often.”

“Fairly often?  It was the one thing I could almost consistently beat you at.  And that was only because you couldn’t cheat at it.”

“…. We should have visited one.”

“Perhaps someday.  It’s too late now, like you said.”

He chuckled.  “Who said anything about right now?  What, just leave everyone in my house and run off to look at the stars?”  he teased.

The Doctor shook his head.  “No, the other week, when I suggested it.  You said it was too late.  And you’re right.  We’ve both settled down.  We couldn’t.”

The Master’s grin faded.  “…You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what again?”

“I can practically feel the longing radiating off you.  You want to go somewhere so badly.. Why don’t you?”

“Because… I can’t.  Not for a while, at least.  I can’t leave them—besides, I still don’t have my flight license.”

“Who said anything about leaving them?  Take a family vacation, or a second honeymoon or something.  And if you’d ever read an instruction book, you’d get your license easily.”

“… The books are wrong.  They make it sound like a TARDIS is only a machine, but they’re not.  They’re _living._ ”

“Then maybe one will help you fly it,” the Master teased, stifling a yawn.

“They never listen.  Or maybe I can’t get through to it..”

“Or maybe you offended it when you insulted the instruction books.”

“…We should probably get back.  Preferably before you fall asleep.  Because I won’t carry you back.”

“I’m not about to fall asleep,” the Master replied, though he stood anyway.  “But if we don’t hurry, you’ll end up carrying Enea home.”

“…Probably.”  The Doctor stood, giving the starry sky a final look before following the Master back to the house.

The Master was smiling as they entered his house, a little color returned to his cheeks.  “Thank you for watching Aya while we were out,” he told Drotha.

She nodded.  “We should go home soon.  Enea looked like she’s about to fall asleep standing up.”  She paused for a moment.  “Actually, she may have already fallen asleep.  I haven’t seen or heard her in a bit.”

The Doctor sighed, trying to hide a faint smile.  “I’ll go find her then,” he said, walking off.

“I’ll fix you a box of leftovers to take home,” the Master said, heading to the kitchen.   “Anything in particular you’d like?”

“Not that I can think of,” the replied.

The Master returned about the same time as the Doctor, the Master handing an overstuffed container to Drotha as the Doctor adjusted a sleeping Enea in his hands.

“Is Aya out, too?”

The Doctor nodded.  “Like a light.”

“Right, then, I’ll go check on her in just a moment.”  He smiled.  “Thank you so much for coming over.”

“Thank you for having us over.”  The Doctor glanced at Chal as he walked over, holding his book.  “Well… until next time, I suppose.”  The three walked out, with the Doctor carefully carrying Enea.

The Master watched as they left, sighing before he went to check on Aya.  He smiled at her sleeping form, before quietly heading back into the living room, where he began to pace.  His daughter was leaving in two short days; there was no way he would be able to get any sleep tonight.

 


End file.
